Boston police arrest Dorchester man after Mass and Cass drug investigation, seizing fentanyl and crack cocaine

Arrest follows street-level investigation near Massachusetts Avenue and Albany Street

Boston police arrested a Dorchester man in connection with an ongoing drug investigation in the Mass and Cass area, a corridor around the intersection of Massachusetts Avenue and Melnea Cass Boulevard that has long been associated with open-air drug activity and public safety concerns.

The arrest occurred after officers assigned to the citywide Neighborhood Engagement Safety Team conducted an on-site investigation at about noon on Saturday, January 17, 2026, in the area of Massachusetts Avenue and Albany Street. Police said officers observed behavior they identified as consistent with street-level narcotics activity, including what appeared to be hand-to-hand exchanges between two individuals.

Evidence recovered and initial charges

Police reported that shortly after the observations, they contacted a woman who discarded a small plastic bag containing a white, rock-like substance. That person was identified and later summonsed to Roxbury District Court on a charge of possession of a Class B substance.

Officers continued monitoring a male suspect and reported additional suspected drug activity involving another individual. Police said units located the suspect inside a nearby business and arrested him without incident.

The arrested man was identified as Trahern Combs, 55, of Dorchester. Police reported recovering suspected narcotics and cash following the arrest, including:

• Three medium plastic bags of fentanyl totaling approximately 10 grams
• Twenty-four small plastic bags of crack cocaine totaling approximately 7 grams
• Eight medium plastic bags of marijuana totaling approximately 19 grams
• An undisclosed amount of U.S. currency

Combs is expected to be arraigned in Roxbury District Court on charges that include trafficking in fentanyl (more than 10 grams), distribution and possession with intent to distribute a Class B substance, and possession with intent to distribute a Class D substance.

How the case fits broader enforcement patterns around Mass and Cass

The Mass and Cass area has been the focus of repeated enforcement actions tied to fentanyl and crack cocaine distribution. Recent cases in the same corridor have involved arrests based on surveillance of suspected hand-to-hand transactions, with narcotics packaged in multiple small bags consistent with street-level sales patterns.

All defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in court.

The investigation leading to the January 17 arrest remains active, and the case is expected to proceed through Roxbury District Court beginning with arraignment.